Revelation 1
The book opens as ‘a revelation of Jesus Christ’ — the settled title hides the word, and this edition renders it as at Eph 3:3. The handing on makes a chain: from God to Jesus Christ, through an angel to his slave John, and on to the slaves. Blessed are the one who reads, those who hear and those who keep — one reader, many hearers. John greets the seven assemblies of Asia, and after the preposition stands a nominative rather than a genitive: the base text prints the broken case as it is. In ‘the one who is and who was and who is coming’, the middle member alone is not a participle but an article set on a finite verb, and where a future might stand a present participle stands instead. The greeting does not finish its sentence but bends into a doxology, the participles turning into a finite verb. He is coming with the clouds, and those who pierced him will see him, and all the tribes of the earth will beat their breasts — Daniel 7:13 joined to Zechariah 12:10 in one sentence, as Matt 24:30 joins the same two. ‘I am the Alpha and the O’ — a name beside a bare letter, for the text does not write ‘Omega’. John, brother and sharer, with affliction, kingdom and endurance bound under one article, was on the island of Patmos. On the Lord’s day, in spirit, he heard a great voice like a trumpet, and the seven cities are named in the order of the road. Turning, he saw seven golden lampstands and in their midst one like a son of man — without an article, so the phrase of Daniel 7:13 rather than the title of the Gospels. The pictures are seven; the metal of the feet is a word unattested in earlier Greek, so it is transliterated, and the participle that describes it has no noun to hang on. Out of his mouth goes a sharp two-mouthed great sword, and the same verse says ‘out of his mouth’, so the two mouths meet. The seer falls as a dead man and the one seen is the one who died and lives — one word joining the two verses. He holds the keys of death and of Hades. Write what you saw and what is and what is about to happen; and the picture is unfolded — the stars are angels, the lampstands assemblies — which this book rarely does.
Why this rendering
Rev.1.3 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ — the first word of the book is ἀποκάλυψις, which this edition has settled as ‘revelation’ (Eph 3:3, 2 Thess 1:7) · whether the genitive Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ is what he gives or what is about him the text does not say · δοῦλος ‘slave’ comes twice in v.1, once of many and once of John alone · the handing on makes a chain — God → Jesus Christ → angel → John → the slaves · σημαίνω ‘signify’ is the verb by which John 12:33 signifies by what death he was to die · ἐν τάχει ‘speedily’ is the phrase of Luke 18:8 · v.3 is the first of the seven blessings of this book, and ‘the one who reads’ is singular while ‘those who hear’ is plural — one reads and many hear · τηρέω ‘keep’ is attached to the hearing · ὁ καιρὸς ἐγγύς has no verb.
Rendering options · 3
Basis Eph 3:3 and 2 Thess 1:7 settled ἀποκάλυψις as ‘revelation’.
Basis Giver or the one revealed the text does not say.
Basis The text sets a singular beside a plural.
Lost in translation
ἀποκάλυψις (v.1) — the first word of the book. Both follow their settled word.
The genitive Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (v.1) — giver or revealed is not said. Both leave it unfilled.
δοῦλος twice (v.1) — the many and the one in one word. Both keep one word.
Singular and plural (v.3) — one reader and many hearers. Both render the number.
‘The time is near’ (v.3) — no copula. Both must supply one.
σημαίνω (v.1) — the verb of John 12:33. Both use the same word.
Why this rendering
Rev.1.8 Observation
Syntactic observation
χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ⸀ἀπὸ ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος — a nominative, not a genitive, follows the preposition ἀπό, and the base text prints the broken case as it stands: a sign that the name will not be bent by case, and the first solecism of this book · ὁ ἦν puts an article on a finite verb, which is not Greek either; of the three the middle one alone is not a participle · where a future might stand, the present participle ὁ ἐρχόμενος stands instead · vv.4-6 do not finish the sentence but bend into a doxology — the two participles at the end of v.5 turn into the finite ἐποίησεν in v.6 (the second solecism) · ⸀λύσαντι ‘loosed’ is the base text’s reading, where other editions read ‘washed’ · v.7 joins Daniel 7:13 to Zechariah 12:10 in one sentence, as Matt 24:30 joins the same two, but there it is ‘on the clouds’ and here ‘with the clouds’ · in τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ the first is the letter’s name and the second is the letter itself — the text does not write ‘Omega’ · παντοκράτωρ ‘Almighty’ stands ten times in the New Testament, nine of them in this book.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The base text prints the nominative as it stands.
Basis Other editions read ‘washed’; the two words differ by one letter.
Basis The text writes the first as a name and the second as a bare letter.
Lost in translation
The nominative after ἀπό (v.4) — a broken case. English has no case ending to break.
ὁ ἦν (vv.4 · 8) — an article on a finite verb. Neither locale carries the shape.
The present participle ὁ ἐρχόμενος (vv.4 · 8) — not a future. Both render a present.
From participles to a finite verb (vv.5-6) — the sentence bends. Both show the bend with dashes.
τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ (v.8) — a name beside a bare letter. Both render it as it stands.
‘With the clouds’ (v.7) — a different preposition from ‘on the clouds’ at Matt 24:30. Both keep them apart.
Why this rendering
Rev.1.11 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἐγὼ Ἰωάννης, ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ⸀συγκοινωνός — the writer does not call himself an apostle but ‘brother’ and ‘sharer’, as Jude does · affliction, kingdom and endurance stand under one article — the three are one thing · ἐν Ἰησοῦ hangs on all three · ἐγενόμην comes twice, in vv.9 and 10, once of coming to be on the island and once of coming to be in spirit — one verb carrying both place and state · κυριακῇ ἡμέρᾳ ‘the Lord’s day’ is one of two places in the New Testament, the other being ‘the Lord’s supper’ at 1 Cor 11:20 · in φωνὴν μεγάλην ὡς σάλπιγγος the comparison falls on a genitive · v.11 lists the seven cities in the order of the Asian road, going north from Ephesus and then round · he is told to write in a βιβλίον ‘book’, not unfolded into ‘scroll’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis Rom 11:17 and Phil 1:7 settled συγκοινωνός.
Basis The text has no article and no ‘Holy’.
Basis 2 Tim 4:13 and Gal 3:10 settled ‘book’; ‘scroll’ would add a shape the text does not give.
Lost in translation
Three under one article (v.9) — affliction, kingdom, endurance as one. Neither locale marks the binding.
ἐγενόμην twice (vv.9 · 10) — one verb for place and state. Both must use two.
κυριακός (v.10) — one of two places with 1 Cor 11:20. Both use the same rendering.
Article-less ‘spirit’ (v.10) — the Spirit or his own spirit is not said. Neither locale closes it.
The order of the seven cities (v.11) — the order of the road. Neither locale reorders them.
βιβλίον (v.11) — settled as ‘book’. Neither locale unfolds it into ‘scroll’.
Why this rendering
Rev.1.16 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὅμοιον ⸀υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου — ὅμοιος takes a dative, but the base text sets an accusative — the second solecism after the nominative of v.4, printed as it stands · there is no article, so it is not ‘the Son of Man’ but ‘one like a son of man’, the phrase of Daniel 7:13 rather than the title of the Gospels · χαλκολίβανον (v.15) stands only twice, both in this book, and nowhere in earlier Greek — no one knows what metal it names, so it is transliterated · πεπυρωμένης is a genitive with no noun in the sentence to hang on (the third solecism) · v.16 sets the participle ἔχων in the nominative against the accusatives before it (the fourth) · the pictures are seven — robe, belt, hair, eyes, feet, voice, mouth and face · ῥομφαία ‘a great sword’ is the word that was to pierce Mary’s soul at Luke 2:35, kept apart from μάχαιρα · δίστομος ‘two-mouthed’ carries ‘mouth’ inside it, and the same verse has ‘out of his mouth’, so the two mouths meet.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text has no article; ‘the Son of Man’ would make it the Gospel title.
Basis The word is unattested in earlier Greek, so what metal it names cannot be measured.
Basis ‘Two-edged’ would lose the meeting with ‘out of his mouth’ in the same verse.
Lost in translation
The accusative after ὅμοιον (v.13) — a broken case. English has no case ending to break.
Article-less ‘son of man’ (v.13) — apart from the Gospel title. Neither locale supplies an article.
πεπυρωμένης (v.15) — nothing for it to hang on. Neither locale carries the dangling.
χαλκολίβανον (v.15) — the metal is unknown. Both transliterate.
δίστομος (v.16) — ‘mouth’ inside the word. Both keep the piece.
The nominative ἔχων (v.16) — against the accusatives before it. Neither locale carries it.
Why this rendering
Rev.1.20 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἔπεσα πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ὡς νεκρός — the seer becomes as a dead man, and the one seen is the one who was dead and lives — the same word νεκρός spans vv.17 and 18 · ‘Do not fear’ is the command of the Gospels · ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος pairs with τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ of v.8 — letters there, order here · ζῶν comes twice in v.18 with ‘I became dead’ between them: present, aorist, present · κλεῖς is plural, the number of ‘the keys of the kingdom of the heavens’ at Matt 16:19 · ᾅδης stays transliterated as ‘Hades’, paired with death · v.19 commands in three — what you saw, what is, what is about to happen · the accusative μυστήριον in v.20 has no verb to take it (the fifth solecism) · v.20 is one of the rare places where this book unfolds its own picture — the stars are angels and the lampstands are assemblies.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text uses νεκρός in both places.
Basis The same plural as Matt 16:19.
Basis The settled transliteration of Matt 11:23.
Lost in translation
νεκρός twice (vv.17 · 18) — one word joining seer and seen. Both use the same word.
Present, aorist, present (v.18) — three tenses in a row. Both render the order.
The plural κλεῖς (v.18) — the number of Matt 16:19. Both render a plural.
ᾅδης (v.18) — the settled transliteration. Both transliterate.
An accusative with no verb (v.20) — the sentence hangs. Both must supply a copula.
ἐκκλησία (vv.4 · 11 · 20) — settled as ‘assembly’ in this edition. Both follow it.